====== Meeting at Creighton's with Windell ======
03/21/09

===== Attendees: =====
  * Windell Oskay
  * Mitch Altman
  * Jeff Keyzer

===== General Discussion: =====
==== Projects for the book, in order, building on each other: ====

  - Hello World
  - miniPOV - 8 LEDs - hardware times, interrupts
  - RGB light - PWM
  - Trippy RGB Waves - input, vis/invis light
  - fireflies?  emergent behavior?  game of life would work really well here too...

==== Notes about AVR classes @ Noisebridge: ====


4 saturdays in a row is ideal

but scheduling is very hard for next few months

  * class 1
    * Mitch's microcontroller presentation?
    * beginning electronics.
    * build a trippy RGB waves kit, or something similar.  (easy)
  * class 2
    * Build a USBtiny programmer.
    * set up a toolchain
  * class 3 - hack something into something else
  * class 4 - your own project
    * start with a kit of materials - sensors, RGB LEDs, motors
    * make it fun!

promote the heck out of it
promotional channels:
  * SF micro
  * windell's blog
  * NB
  * make
  * hack a day
  * other blogs
  * badiyeg

==== Thoughts about the book: ====

**the book needs a page on licensing, hacking, open source HW/SW**

2 tracks at once
  - newbies
  - people who want to do more (sidebar)

which micro to concentrate on?
  * atmega168
  * attiny2313
  * ?

abbreviated copy of datasheets for the back of the book?

explain tradeoffs
  * arduino builtin libs - limitations
  * pros/cons of Arduino


==== Windell's project ideas: ====

accelerometer input, PWM LEDs output
  * 3 analog inputs X Y Z +-
  * intensity of LEDs corresponds to tilt
  * 6 LEDs - red and blue

servo control
  * snap o lantern
    * servo and timer, LED eyes, slowly opens and snaps shut
    * **hitech HS81 $15 servo**
  * pumpkin with wheels - needs LEGO (bad)
  
SPI based LED display

check out the processing book
  * a casual guide to programming
  * interviews w/people outside doing cool things

using same hardware with minor mods to do many projects

zuccherino

Peggy - doesn't use enough different things - too many LED projects already - bad project

Meggy Jr. - possible last project, uses many features of avr

chips as building blocks - AND NOT gate

sound projects?
  * funky 8 bit synth - 2 AVRs with one dedicated to sound generation with D/A R ladder
  * Mitch's idea - outgrowth of trippy rgb waves - with sound?
  * something with Arduino - Jeff to look into - sound synth?  build an Arduino with an AVR 1st
